New Page 1

	Sign In Sign-Up

Winter White
by Donna Givens
<Home>

Well, well it appears that sometime during the night old man winter has arrived. The air outside is just plain old shivery cold and the wind breaks into an occasional howl that genuinely chills me right down to the bone. I dress in layers and layers of coats and sweaters. I pull on hat , scarf, and gloves; all in order to walk just a few short yards to the woodpile and fetch the wood for the fire. Outside the air is clean. I close my eyes and try to imagine what air would look like if I could see it just for today. I remember a picture I saw once when I was a little girl, old man winter with his cheeks puffed up blowing out swirls of icy air into the world. The air today would be the color of ice, crystal clear with sparkles of white etched in here and there. Perhaps just a touch of blue sky captured deep inside and reflected back, as an image from a mirror. I take a deep breath and draw in the clean, cold air. There is just the tiniest hint of wood smoke drifting toward me, someone else had the same idea as I. Someone else woke up and said to themselves, "What a perfect day for a fire." As I stand there lost in the moment the wind begins a new and vicious assault, howling at me to remove myself from it's presence. I don't need to be told twice, I grab the logs that I need for the fire and hurry inside.

In just a few minutes the fireplace is ready, the logs are set in place and all that remains is to light the kindling. The fire begins with just a tiny spark of flame, spitting and sputtering as it grows more intense moment by moment. In practically no time at all fingers of fire are running up the sides of the logs and dancing back and forth across the top. Decked out in red, orange, and yellow costumes the flames are putting on a magnificent ballet across the top of the log. I reluctantly turn my back to the fire and wait for the welcome warmth to spread forth from the hearth and begin to soak into these old, tired bones.

As I gaze out the window I notice that the clouds have to begun to gather in the sky, huddling close as if they too are seeking warmth from one another. The sky has turned a dark shade of gray and the clouds look wet and heavy with what could be the first snowfall of the season. The clouds must be contented with their chosen spot in the sky because they are moving so slowly that it is almost impossible to detect any movement at all and it certainly looks as if they plan on staying awhile.

Behind me I feel the warmth of the fire beginning to build, slowly spreading upward across my back. I don't want to move away from the fire but a big old pot of homemade soup sure does sound good and I think the cooking fairy is on vacation this week. I head for the kitchen, looking forward to finishing the task at hand so that I can return to the warm glow of the fire. In almost no time at all the soup is simmering on the stove, the dishes are done and I am standing once more in front of the now roaring flames.

Twilight has come early today and long shadows are just beginning to stretch across the lawn but while I was occupied in the kitchen old man winter has been very, very busy outside. The yard is covered with a thin layer of snow! The branches of the old cedar tree have grown heavy and are beginning to bow down with the extra weight that they are bearing. The bowing cedar tree is minor compared to the amazing transformation that has taken place all around it. It has been weeks since the last of the beautiful fall leaves fell to the ground. This afternoon the yard was filled with bare, brown trees sticking up out of the ground like giant twigs with spindly arms. Scattered here and there were flower beds that had lost their summer blooms, their heads hung in defeat. Patches of grass had worn off here and there across the lawn and become brown puddles of hard, bare earth. Now, just a few hours later, my yard is covered with a blanket of purest white. The wind that assaulted me earlier is gone and the air is reverent and still with only the occasional deep sigh from the once howling wind. Snowflakes as big as feathers are drifting softly and silently to the ground.

As I watch this amazing scene the streetlight turns itself on and in the spotlight that it casts the snowflakes begin a performance that demands a standing ovation. They jump and dance to some wild tune that only snowflakes can hear. Floating to the ground, then swirling back into the light. They bounce around in circles recklessly running into each other. They link together in groups of two or more on their spirited journey to the ground. I laugh out loud and clap my hands at the joy that I feel at this moment. Tomorrow I may have to try and maneuver the highways, worrying about slick spots and traffic, but that's tomorrow. For right now I envy those snowflakes their joy, enthusiasm, and boundless energy. I applaud their magical ability to entertain. But more than anything else I stand amazed that the scenery that just this afternoon was so stark and bare has been transformed practically before my very eyes. From a barren landscape a winter wonderland was fashioned in the little bit of time that it took to make a pot of soup! Thank you Lord for this lovely and amazing gift of winter.

I realize that this is my season, winter embraces me. I am warmly dressed in the many layers of my faith. Layers of hope and peace, of joy and trust. My head is covered with the warmth of His blessings and my life is enveloped by His grace . Beginning with just a tiny spark the Lord has set my life aglow with a fire that fills and warms my very soul. Like the snowflakes that dance in the streetlight my heart leaps with the joy and happiness of the knowledge that I am His, He is mine, and I am so greatly loved. What more could one ask of life than this? The depth of His love for me drives away all coldness that ever dwelt within. It is winter and I am so very blessed. Each and every day I am so truly, warmly blessed. I have the assurance of God, through His Holy Word, that if I am willing and obedient Christ will forgive and remove the stain and ugliness of sin from my life and cover me with a blanket of purest white. Glory be to God in heaven for His blessings of the winter white.

Isaiah 1: 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.